Lowe Bruce SKYSTR KTFX IV-1200 N1641E

Summary

On 5 April 2023 at about 18:30 local time, a Lowe Bruce SKYSTR KTFX IV-1200 registered N1641E was involved in an accident near Susanville, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 April 2023 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Susanville, California, United States

Coordinates

40.2802, -120.0118

Aircraft

Lowe Bruce SKYSTR KTFX IV-1200

Registration

N1641E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Susanville → Stead

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA151

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s braking technique during an off airport precautionary landing on unforeseen soft terrain, which resulted in a nose over.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while flying low to observe the unusual water flows from mountains, he noted abnormal engine behavior. He elected to perform a precautionary landing on flat terrain due to nearby rising terrain. Upon touchdown, the airplane experienced a slight ballooning effect, leading the pilot to apply maximum braking upon touchdown. The tires grabbed harder than expected due to soft terrain and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident engine test run by the pilot revealed no anomalies or an explanation for the abnormal engine behavior.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.